Chair



y4,1943. ID.F.EBBERT ,318,067

CHAIR INVENTOR wrruzsszs l7cmiel I'orbes'EbberZ ATTORN EYS May 4, 1943.

D. F. EBBERT CHAIR Filed Sept. .17.. 1941 is Sheets-Sheet :s

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N s n ITNESSES Patented May 4, i943 earsr This invention relates to an improved chair, particularly to a chair similar to a beach chair or deck chair which a person may use for relaxthe cradle supporting member in slightly more ing and for sunning himself, or exposing himself to the sun or beneath a sun lamp.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved chair, the back cradle of which is shaped like the contour of the torso of the human body and will support aperson in comfort, either lying on his back or on his abdomen, and which may be used for sunning either the front or back of a person.

A further object is the provision of an im-; proved chair having a reversible cradle portion which, when turned one way, serves to support a person on his back, and when turned in the opposite direction, se ves to support a person on his abdomen.

Another object is the provision of a chair having an improved collapsible and adjustable frame H in which the frame may be adjusted to various angles, and the frame may be readily collapsed when not in use.

Another object is the provision of a chair in which a person may be seated comfortably and With these and other objects in view, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a chair embodying my invention, showing the chair in assembled relationship and with the cradle adjusted to support a person on his back;

Fig, 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the chair in assembled relationship with the cradle and frame adjusted to a slightly different position from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the chair in collapsed position;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the chair with the cradle supporting member in substantially horizontal position and with the cradle arranged to support a person on his abdomen so as to sun the back of the person;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the upper portion of the cradle supporting member and cradle frame showing the manner in which they are connected together;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the chair with elevated position than shown in Fig. 5 and with the cradle arranged to support a person on his back; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the chair in upright position in which position it can be used in the manner of an ordinary chair,

My chair comprises, generally, a supporting frame portion l and a body-conforming and supporting cradle portion 8, connected to and supported on the frame portion. The cradle portion is so constructed and so connected to the frame portion as to be adjustable or shiftable to support a person in comfort, either on his back or on his abdomen, permitting him to expose either the front or back of his body to the sun or a sun lamp.

The construction of the frame I may vary.

However, I prefer to employ a frame such as that illustrated, which is adjustable both as to height and as to the angle at which the body is supported. The illustrated frame comprises a pair of front legs 9 and a pair of rear legs l0. pivotally connected together adjacent their upper ends as by means of the hinges I I. The legs may be suitably braced and reinforced by means of the cross braces l2, as shown.

Pivotally connected to an intermediate portion, preferably adjacent the center of the front legs 9, is the cradle supporting member l4, comprising a pair of longitudinal members M on the two sides thereof, and a pair of transverse members l5 and I6 adjacent the two ends therethese are preferably connected at one end to the longitudinal members I4 by means of the hinges 19.

Adjacent their opposite end, each arm I8 is provided with a sliding connection with a bracket 20 which, in turn, is pivotally connected to the upper .ends of the legs 9 and It] by the hinge H. The sliding connectionbetween each of the arms l8, and its bracket 20, comprises a guide track 2! having a shiftable shoe or slide 22 disposed therein and which, in turn, is connected to the top of bracket 20.

Due to the construction just described, the legs l0 and 9 may be shifted towards and away from each other to adjust the height of the chair. Also, the cradle supporting member I 4 may be pivotally adjusted so as to vary the angle at with arc-shaped portions 28 which facilitate similar to the forward which it is disposed. The adjustment of the several parts results in varying the distance between the hinges H and i3. Theslidable connection between brackets 20 and arms "I provides for this variation in distance.

So as to retain the supporting frame in any desired adjusted position, I provide suitable. retaining members. Thus, I provide a pair of arms 23 for retaining the justed position, and a pair of arms 24 for retaining the cradle supporting member in adjusted position. The arms 23 are pivotally connected at their forward ends to the front legs 8 by the legs 3 and iii in adsides of the frame The frame should be of sufficient strength to support a person, and for this purpose I have found that 'metal tubing is satisfactory, although other materials, such as wood, particularly bamboo, may also be used. The entire cradle portion including the frame 32 is curved longitudinallyconcave and convex, on

each or both sides, with the maximum amount of curvature being disposed adjacent the lower pins i1, and immediately adjacent the pivotal connection, the arms 23 are preferably provided the adjustment of the legs and the collapsing thereof. The rearwardly extending ends of the arms 23 are preferably provided with a plurality of notches 21 extending upwardly from the lower edges, and the notches are adapted to engage with U-shaped loops or brackets 28, secured to the rear legs l0 and through which the arms 23 extend.

The notches 21 are preferably formed with rear walls which are vertically disposed, or which are disposed at a slight forwardly extending angle so as to prevent accidental release of the engagement between the notches 21 and loops 28, in a rearward direction. However, the forward walls of the notches are preferably of cam shape so that the legs 9 and I0 maybe pivoted towards each other without interference from the notches 21 and loops 28.

The forward end of the arms 24 are pivotally connected to the upper ends of legs 9 and I0 at the hinges H. The rearwardly extending ends of the-arms 24 are provided with notches-23, similar to the notches 21 and extending upwardly from the lower edges of the arms 24. The arms 24 extend through the loops or straps 30, attached to the longitudinal frame members l4,

and the notches are adapted to engage with the pins 3|, extending through the straps and which may be in the form of screws for holding the straps in position. The rear walls of the notches 29 are formed similarly to the rear walls of the notches 21 so as to resist accidental release in that direction, and the forward walls are alsowalls of the notches 21 so as to permit the cradle supporting frame to be pivoted upwardlywithout interference from the notches:

Thus, it will be seen that the height of the chair and the angle of the back frame may be adjusted as desired, and that they will be retained in adjusted position by means of the arms 23 and 24. The straps 28 and 30 are of such a size as to permit the arms 23 and 24 to be pivoted upwardly with the notches 21 and 23 free from engagement so as to permit ready adjustment of the legs and back frame. When the chair is not in use, the frame may be collapsed in the manner shown in Fig. 4, by pivoting the .legs 9 and I0 into contact with each other and end, as indicated at 33. In this manner the cradle portion is longitudinally concave near its central and lower end, and convex near its upper end, on one surface, and longitudinally convex near its central and lower end and concave near its upper end, on the oppositesurface.

Various types of flexible material may be connected between the sides of the frame so as to serve as the body receiving portions of the cradle. For this purpose, I have found that very satisfactoryresults are obtained by employing strips w of webbing 34, extending longitudinally and transversely of the cradle portion on both surfaces thereof, and extending around the frame 32 at the sides and ends of the cradle portion. Between the webbing on the upper and lower surfaces of the cradle I provide a mat 35 of soft padding material, and for this purpose I preferably employ sponge or foam rubber, although other types of filling and padding material may be employed. Adjacent the upper end of the cradle portion, the two layers of webbing may be stitched or otherwise connected together, as shown at 36, so as to provide a separate head rest or pillow portion 31.

The cradle portion is preferably connected adjacent its upper end to the transverse member I5 of the cradle supporting member. This connection preferably takes the form of a sleeve 38, disposed around the upper portion of the cradle frame 32 and pivotally connected, as at 39, to the upper end of pin 40 which extends through the member l5, and may rotate or pivot with respect thereto. Due to this construction, the entire cradle portion 8 may be pivoted upwardly from its lower end and then rotated, turning the cradle so that either side thereof may be disposed upwardly, thus changing the relationship between the concave and convex portions. The cradle portion 8 and its frame 32 are of suflicient length so that the lower portion thereof rests upon' the transverse member l6 of the cradle supporting member.

In using my improved chair, the cradle portion 8 is connected to the supporting frame 1, in the manner described above, and the supporting frame is then adjusted to the desired height and angle. If the user desires to expose the front of his body to the sun, he arranges the cradle so that the side having the lower concave portion is disposed upwardly, and the upper convex portion of the cradle then forms a comfortable support for the back of his body. When he desires to sun the back of his body, he raises the lower end of the cradle portion upwardly and rotates it so that the surface having the lower convex porportion faces upwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. The cradle then forms a comfortable support for the front of his body, with the upper concave portion accommodating the chest of the user. The height of the chair and the angle-of the cradle supporting frame can be adjusted as desired with the cradle in either position.

As shown in the drawings, the chair may be used in various positions. Thus it may be adjusted to upright position, as shown in Fig. 8,

sleeping or napping.

In Fig. 5, the cradle is arranged sothat the user can recline on his abdomen, while in Fig. 7 it is arranged so that he can recline on his back.

In Figs. 2 and 3, the chair is illustrated in two different positions for supporting the user in semi-reclining position on his back. Of course it should be understood that when the chair frame is adjusted in the manner shown in Figs.

2 and 3, the cradle may be inverted so as to support the user on his abdomen. the chair may be conveniently manner shown in Fig. 4 v

While my chair is particularly suited for use in taking a sun bath or artificial sun bath, it should be understood that it forms a comfortable chair to be used for any other desired purpose. Thus it may be used as an ordinary chair or as a couch for reclining and resting.

It should also be understood that modifications may be made in the illustrated and described embodiment of my invention, such as changing the construction of the supporting frame on which the cradle is mounted and When not in use collapsed in the I claim:

1. A chair comprising a frame. a rigid bodyconforming and supporting cradle carried by the frame of a length to support the major portion of a human body reclining thereon, said cradle having a longitudinally convex surface and an forming and supporting cradle carried by the frame, said cradle having a surface with a longitudinally convex lower portion for supporting the varying the material from which the cradle is made.

front of a body of a person, and a surface with a longitudinally concave upper portion for supporting the back of said body, and means pivotally connecting said cradle to said frame whereby either surface of said cradle may be disposed upwardly.

3. A chair comprising a frame having a pair of front legs and a pair of back legs pivotally connected together adjacentv their upper ends and adjustable towards and away from each other to vary the height of the chair, retaining means comprising an arm pivotally connected to one of the pairs of legs and formed with a plurality of notches adapted to have releasable engagement with means attached to the other pair of legs, a back supporting member pivotally connected to the legsadjacent one end, the opposite end being shiftable upwardly and downwardly through an arc with respect to the legs, taining the back supporting member in the desired position comprising an arm pivotally connected at one .endto the legs a plurality of notches adjacent the other end adapted to have releasable engagement with means-attached to the back supporting member.

4. A chair as set forth in claim 3 in which a body-conforming and supporting cradle isattached to the back supporting member. a

5. A chair as set forth in claim 3 in which a rigid body-conforming and supporting cradle having a longitudinally convex surface and an oppositely disposed longitudinally concave is attached to the back supporting member bya pivotal connection whereby either surface 'of the cradle may be disposed upwardly.

6. A chair comp'rising'a frame, a rigid bodyconforming and-supporting cradle adapted to be supported by the-frame, said cradle having one surface adapted 'to support and substantially conform to the front and another surface adapted to support and sub: stantially conform to the back contour of said body, and means pivotally connecting said cradle to said frame whereby either surface of said cradle may be disposed upwardly.

Amm. ronans EBBERT.

and means for re-' and formed with' contour of a human body. 

